Fleet sails south from Sydney Harbour to Hobart in 2022 yacht race

SYDNEY, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- A fleet of 109 boats set sail on Monday from Sydney Harbour to embark on a 628-nautical-mile journey in the 2022 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

The 77th edition of the race began at 1 p.m. local time on Boxing Day, with a starting cannon fired as per tradition. Before that, the participating boats, ranging from the super maxis to smaller 30-footers, had already warmed up to get as close as possible to the starting lines without crossing them.

The opening hours saw Andoo Comanche and Hamilton Island Wild Oats each undertake a penalty turn. The race also had its first dropout by 3 p.m., with the Hick 40 Avalanche reporting a broken bowsprit.

Currently, the leading group for Line Honours consists of Andoo Comanche, LawConnect and Black Jack, the reigning champion that won the 2021 race in a time of two days, 12 hours, and 37 minutes.

The Line Honours record is one day, nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds, set by LDV Comanche in 2017.

According to the course outlined by the race's organizers, the fleet sails out into the Tasman Sea after departing from the Sydney Harbour, down the southeast coast of mainland Australia, across the Bass Strait, then down the east coast of Tasmania.

At Tasman Island, the fleet turns right into Storm Bay for the final sail up the Derwent River to the historic port city of Hobart.

Pre-race briefings from Australia's Bureau of Meteorology showed that drizzly and misty conditions are possible across the Bass Strait on Tuesday, but light rain is more likely to develop on Wednesday or Thursday when a trough is forecast to cross Tasmania.

"Winds are expected to shift south to southeasterly on Wednesday or Thursday across Tasmania, including up the River Derwent, but the exact timing will be dependent on the timing of the trough's passage. There is the potential for strong wind warnings to be issued during the race," said the weather bureau.

Early this morning, a thick haze of fog blanketed Sydney, forcing the city's ferry services to stop temporarily, but cleared in time for the start of the yacht race, giving way to glorious sun and blue skies.

Since its inception in 1945, the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race has become an iconic event of Australia's summer sport, with trophies in a number of categories up for grabs annually.